2.0 Tdi common rail (CBAB)

[richiek]

Morning all,

Does anyone happen to know if the CBAB common rail engine is affected by the dreaded balancer shaft oil pump problem?

I've bought a 2009 A3 with 100k on the clock and terrified each time I drive it now.

I thought VAG had sorted this issue with the advent of the CR engines but apparently not on all of them.

Any advice much appreciated.

[Crasher]

It was built 09.03.2009 and so has the 77-mm oil pump hex key and matching pump used pre 19.10.2009 when the 100-mm oil pump dive shaft and matching pump came in, WHY they went back to the 77-mm shaft after all the Passat BKP problems years earlier I have no idea, only VAG will have the answer to that question.

[richiek]

Thanks Steve,
So it's got the dodgy oil pump that could go at any time then?

[Gazwould]

77mm Club membership is most common from 80-150K , but can be anyware from 50-400K .

[richiek]

Any idea what the prevalence of this issue is?

I read on another forum that it's something like 0.1% but find that hard to believe it's that low.

[Gazwould]

I wish I kept a record , but it's loads on VAG forums .

It's simple underengineered two connecting parts , primarily a balancer shaft keyway issue ( not deep or hard enough and not actually hexagonal ) .

[Crasher]

The tinterweb doom mongers could take a 0.1% prevalence and make it 150% just by learning of two failures, bad news travels much faster than good as it makes interesting reading, no news is boring. Put it this way, my customers NEVER suffer these failures, I just get the occasional new customer with the problem and a few more telephone calls casting around for fast fix solutions to their misery. This could be my bullying to not use long life intervals, who knows? Being an A3 rather than an A4 it is much easier to just get on with it and convert to the later parts and stop flapping.